Tag: tools

We spent class time to do some mark making so here is the documentation of the process! I brought a variety of materials – mostly organic because from my research I found that the textures created by organic materials are very appealing in general and are very versatile. I made sure to use different techniques to maximise the potential of the tools.

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Body Scrub

The first tool that I experimented with was a small body scrub. I dipped it in Chinese calligraphy ink so that it would soak up the ink.

I tried to manoeuvre the scrub differently on the paper to produce different textures. I used different stamping and swiping motions to achieve the results below. I find that it is a very versatile tool that can convey a variety of emotions.

 

Silkworm cocoons

Next, I used some silkworm cocoons. Again, I tried to use different techniques with this one too. I tried rolling these around on paper, attaching them to my hands to tap on the paper, and even attaching one to a stick to see if the different movement would produce different results.

 

Masking Tape

I said in my first post that I’d bring tape so I did. I brought masking tape so that I wouldn’t struggle with the adhesive and have problems like it ripping the paper. I tried stamping patterns using crumpled tape and some acrylic paint. The pattern produced at a good variety of small and large splotches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airplane socks

I found some airplane socks so I rolled one up to create a stamper. I swiped it across the paper too, and it produced strokes that resembled a paint brush. In the third column I flung the sock on the paper. The loose threads created long tense looking lines that reminds me of the emotion “frustration” so I may want to consider it as one of my final pieces for that emotion.

 

Seashells

Using seashells didn’t exactly produce the results that I wanted. It’s shape covered a very small surface area and the paint was very concentrated. The patterns do convey enthusiasm to me, however I may want to experiment with them some more. The shell with protruding jagged points convey “timidness” to me as it produced these small clutters of lines that seem to fade away.

 

CD

The CD was one of the few hard surface objects that I brought. It produced very hard-edged prints. Cutting it up was a challenge. I was inspired by the torn paper collage technique and tried to use shattered CD bits but it was difficult as cutting up a CD was not easy. In the end I cut just enough to see if the idea works. The print had more defined shapes as compared to the other prints.  tried using the shattered edge of the CD as a brush too – this worked pretty well. The unusual strokes produced are not easily replicated by other objects in my opinion.

 

String

I brought two types of string to play with. The fluffy string produced textures similar to the sock. It conveys “panic” to me. The paper string conveys “apprehension” through the thin strokes produced.

 

Hair roller

The hair roller produced patterns that would be difficult to replicate as well. It reminds me of “sadness” when I look at the print. A child-like sort of sadness if you will.

 

Cling Wrap

In school I tried stamping using cling wrap. But at home I tried to do it the other way instead. I laid out my cling wrap and put paint on it first. I then placed my paper on top of the cling wrap.

 

 

Using a press

The first time I used the press was a fail because the paint was too thinly spread that it didn’t seep through the tiny holes of the cloth. However I improvised and stamped the leftover paint on the board onto the paper which showcased the texture of the cloth better. I then tried again with cotton fluffs instead. The paint didn’t seep through either, but instead gave me a print with negative space.

 

Foam pieces

I picked up from foam pieces from Foundation 3D class because I noticed that they were uniquely textured! One of the pieces had this rounded pattern already on it, the other had imperfect machine cutter marks. I tried both stamping and dragging the pieces. Both performed well and I am pleased with the outcome of the prints.

 

Glue on cardboard

I tried using glue to create some negative space in my prints. I put the glue on a piece of cardboard and waited for it to dry before putting some ink on it and pressing a piece of paper over it. Some of the cardboard texture got transferred on it as well, which gave an interesting look.

 

Styrofoam

I got myself a styrofoam board to play with since it is a very textured material on its own. I first jabbed it using the end of a paintbrush to further texture it and then stamped the ink onto paper. I really like the outcome, I think it is a good interpretation of depression. I then jabbed a pair of scissors into it to create “crumbs” of styrofoam and printed with that too.

 

Ice

I froze some ink water because why not. Since I had no control of the ice melting, it gave wonderfully flowy results. The ink did come out diluted though, which is why I decided to go over the paper a second time after the first layer dried. That produced contrast. The advantage of using water colour paper was that the texture of it shows through the print.

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After looking at what sort of patterns and textures can be produced by different materials, I started to narrow down on the choice of emotions.

Here are the emotions and their definitions that I try to portray in my mark making.

Love: the feeling of affection and care for someone that grows even in dark times.

Thrill:  a wild wave of emotion that “moves” tremendously.

Sadness: when you’re sad your outlook is kind of grey. When I think sadness I think of rain.

Uneasiness: uncomfortable in both body and mind, pacing

Bitterness: a form of anger and resentment that starts out small and burrows its way into our hearts.

Suffering: conscious endurance of pain, a feeling that hardens your heart.

 

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Some of the textures above convey these emotions, but some was questionable so I had to go make more stuff focusing on those emotions.

 

Thrill

The dynamic shapes produced by the broken CD was great for expressing thrill. It just lacked circular motion to convey the “crazy” and “excitement” element, so I made a few variation prints at home and picked one best one for my final submission.

 

Love

At first I wanted to go for a passionate sort of love and came up with this, but it did not translate very well.

Since we are encouraged to experiment with 3D methods too, I tried to look for soft, white material to manipulate on a black background to fit my definition. I found this cloth called organdy. It is a very sheer and crisp type of cloth. I thought it would be perfect for “love”. I cut off a strip and twisted it to create wave like patterns on a black board. It was actually a very difficult material to work with, because glue didn’t adhere very well to the fine cloth. Final outcome in final submission post.

 

Sadness

I had two prints that portray different forms of sadness. First one is a more aggressive sort of sadness, and the second one is one that is more quiet. Second one produced very interesting textures that resemble tear stains. Plus the grey tone went went with the definition of sadness. Hence I chose the second print.

 

Uneasiness 

I had a few prints to consider for uneasiness. First one makes the viewer pretty uncomfortable. It does convey the emotion, however the look is constant throughout and kind of boring. Second one shows pacing which is nice, but I think it’s a pretty common portrayal. I chose the last one because it had the best contrast in terms of patterns. There are many small tiny dots to show the thoughts running through my mind. The little random splatters kind of reminds me of sweat – which is possible when you’re uneasy.

 

Suffering

For this one, I had no intention to create the emotion suffering, I was just experimenting with melted wax because it produced beautiful textures. I melted the wax on top of both white and black paper to see what difference the background makes. I initially couldn’t interpret the emotion from both at all. Then I thought about how your heart and mindset sort of “hardens” in suffering. So I decided to do one extra step and layer black paint over the wax to make it less white and blend in more with its black background. I made sure to leave some whitish areas for contrast. That helped add darkness to the overall look and convey “suffering” better.

 

Bitterness

I was going for the emotion “frustration” in this one, but after looking at the outcome, I adjusted it to “bitterness” as it is more accurate. I had a styrofoam board that I used for mono printing but why not use it for the actual work instead. I tried different ways of stabbing and digging at the board. I thought of the emotion which to me sort of builds up with time so I knew I wanted a progression of stabbing/digging. After I decided on how the digging should look like, I tried to put black paint over it, since it was a negative emotion. However the black paint distracts the viewer from the textures, so I opted to go with the clean, white one instead for my final piece.